Lake Stevens council hears PROS plan update; trails, park renovations top community priorities

A consultant told the Lake Stevens City Council workshop on Oct. 21 that residents overwhelmingly value parks and open space and prioritized trails, maintenance and new park land as the city prepares a 10‑year Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan.

Steve Duke of Conservation Techniques, who led the plan update, said the project is intended to serve as the city’s 10‑year strategic plan for parks, facilities, open spaces and trails and to position the city to compete for state grants. “Having a plan will put you on the right path to be competitive against other jurisdictions across the state for funding future park improvements,” Duke said.

The consultant and staff summarized engagement to date: a random‑sample mail survey of 2,500 households plus an online survey produced 611 responses (about a 13% response rate for the random sample), statistically valid results and additional write‑in comments. Key headline findings included: - 97% of respondents said parks and recreation are essential or important to Lake Stevens’ quality of life. - About 78% of survey respondents visit a park at least monthly. - Trails for walking and biking were the top unmet need; renovating existing parks and acquiring land for future parks rounded out the top three priorities. - 85% were very or somewhat supportive of the city considering additional indoor recreation facility space.

Duke also presented a draft map of park access travel sheds and a per‑capita comparison using National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) datasets. The consultant noted the comparison excludes school‑district facilities and homeowners‑association amenities, and cautioned those exclusions make local service levels appear lower than using a full inventory that includes private and school assets.

Jill (staff member) confirmed the community outreach will continue: the project remains in a needs‑assessment phase and the second open house is scheduled for Nov. 10 at the Mill building. She and Duke said the next steps are to test draft ideas at that event, incorporate feedback and bring a draft plan to the parks board, planning commission and city council for review later this year and early next year.

Councilmembers pressed for neighborhood detail and distribution of park access. Councilmember Ryan asked the team to clarify the least walkable areas — “East Side Of The Lake is our maybe least walkable portion of the city,” he said — and requested maps that show where additional trails would best close gaps. Staff and the consultant said the travel‑shed maps on the draft will be refined and cross‑referenced with future acquisition priorities.

Staff highlighted a few local notes: Mill Cove (also called Mill Cove Reserve) was cited as an example of open space that provides habitat and scenic value without active programming. The council was also congratulated on the recent Cavalier Hill acquisition as new parkland to help meet system needs.

No formal actions or votes were taken on the PROS plan at the workshop; councilmembers and staff set the schedule for further outreach and review. The plan is expected to replace the parks chapter of the city’s comprehensive plan when adopted.

The consultant and staff asked council for any additional points to probe in the upcoming open house; councilmembers requested clearer maps showing gaps in walkability and more detail on how HOA and school facilities affect service levels.